When Oklahoma State Could Expect Return of Braydon Nelson from Injury
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Among the near 20 North Texas transfers to Oklahoma State was left tackle Braydon Nelson, a player most expected to start for the Cowboys in 2026.
So far, he hasn’t played in either of OSU’s first two games. But, during his weekly radio show on the Cowboys Radio Network, head coach Eric Morris offered as firm a timeline as he’s offered for the junior offensive lineman to return to the field.
Morris said that Nelson is on track to be a full-go when the Cowboys host the UCF Knights on Oct. 10. That means Oklahoma State will be without him for Saturday’s game with Murray State and the following game with West Virginia, which is the Big 12 opener, on Sept. 26. The Cowboys are off the weekend of Oct. 3.
Morris gets three more weeks to build up to helping the offensive line. In a sense, the Cowboys already need it.
Where Braydon Nelson Could Help Cowboys
Nelson has played both left tackle and left guard during his time in college football. With UNT last year he was an all-American Conference left tackle who helped the Mean Green go 12-2 and lead the country in total offense.
But a knee injury slowed him down in the offseason and going into the opener against Tulsa he hadn’t even worked out with the team. OSU started Jacob Sexton at left tackle. That lasted six plays before he suffered a lower right leg injury that ended his season. When he left the game, he was replaced by a combination of Desmond Magiya — who also played at North Texas last season — and Shaun Torgeson.
The pair competed to be Sexton’s replacement for the Oregon game and Torgeson won the competition. The former Portland State tackle played every snap on the left side of the Cowboys’ 39-31 win over the Ducks. Magiya played part of the game at left guard after an injury to right guard Joseph Hanson forced the Cowboys to move Johnny Dickson III to right guard.
It's not clear if Hanson will play against Murray State on Saturday. If he's unable to do so, it's possible the Cowboys will go with the same alignment they used in his absence against the Ducks.
Morris has said repeatedly that he's not worried about Nelson's command of the offense, given the number of mental reps he had in the OSU scheme. He's also not beholden to Nelson playing left tackle. Nelson has also spent time at left guard. She could return as a swing tackle-guard who could spell the starters.
Nelson is the kind of reinforcement that Morris has been waiting on. He'll just have to wait a few more weeks to get him.
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Matthew Postins is the publisher of Oklahoma State on SI. He is an award-winning sports journalist who was formerly the editor of the College Football America Yearbook and covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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